In this episode of Take-Away with Sam Oches, Sam talks with Pike Howard, the co-owner of Felipe’s Taqueria, a six-unit fast-casual concept out of New Orleans that has prioritized its systems and business model in its nearly 20 years in business as it slowly grows across the South. Pike was a finance guy when his father-in-law pulled him into the Felipe’s business, and that mindset has benefited the company as Pike has helped it develop a strong brand identity, vision, and infrastructure and to resist the urge to grow quickly. Pike joined the podcast to talk about why unit growth has not been as much of a priority as internal growth and how the fast-casual category’s evolution has made hospitality all the more important to today’s consumer.

In this conversation, you’ll find out why:

• Sometimes you need to let guests choose their own adventure in your restaurant
• Growth can be a distraction, so set clear growth goals and stick to them
• Restaurants are a math problem and operators need to know that math
• You have to be honest with your customers when things go bad
• The data you collect is a relationship building tool 
• Innovating with your beverage program is not a very heavy lift

Register for CREATE, our event for emerging restaurateurs, by clicking here. 

Have feedback or ideas for Take-Away? Email Sam at [email protected].